Out-of-sorts Bath overpowered by rampaging Northampton Saints

Simply not good enough. Those four words are not normally associated with a Bath Rugby performance. But they sum up accurately the Blue, Black & White’s display in their sobering defeat by Northampton Saints on Saturday 27th December.

Bath Rugby conceded 27 unanswered points in the final 27 minutes to lose 41-21 to Northampton Saints here at The Rec on Saturday 27th December | Photo © Richard Briggs

The Midlanders hit back from a 21-14 deficit to score 27 unanswered points in the final 27 minutes and run out 41-21 winners of the Gallagher PREM Round 8 match at The Rec.

And it could have been worse as Northampton had two tries disallowed – one in each half – by television match official Dan Jones on an evening to forget for the hosts, who have now lost two of their last three games across all competitions.

The speedy and dangerous Saints, featuring a plethora of changes from the side that thumped Sale Sharks in Round 7, had 54% of the possession but Bath shaded the territory with 52%.

However, the telling statistics showed that the Blue, Black & White – also with a vastly changed, but arguably superior, line-up from the previous weekend – missed 44 tackles, and gained only 215 metres in attack whereas the Saints gained 509 metres.

This was not just a loss. Bath were outplayed by what on the night proved a much better team in the meeting of the reigning and 2024 league champions.

It was a grim end to the year for Johann van Graan’s outfit and the majority of the sellout crowd of 14,509. Not even a four-try bonus point was secured – although Bath came agonisingly close in the 79th minute – and the league leadership was relinquished to the side from Franklin’s Gardens.

What Bath have achieved in three-and-a-half years under van Graan is incredible, meaning the 27th December result was viewed as a shock. And of course one big defeat does not make the Blue, Black & White a bad side. But too many players were well below par against the Black, Green & Gold, and they were punished for that.

On a cold and windy evening, less than three minutes were on the clock when Northampton scored the first of their six tries, Tommy Freeman running in from 12 metres on the left following a line-out and Anthony Belleau converting.

But Bath bagged their opening try in the ninth minute, Thomas du Toit going over from five metres on the right after a tap penalty. Finn Russell converted and the match was level at 7-7.

The Saints were reduced to 14 men when Ed Prowse was yellow-carded in the 13th minute following a clash of heads with Miles Reid. The crowd gasped repeatedly as the incident was replayed time and again on the big screen.

And Bath took advantage of their numerical superiority to grab their second try, this in the 15th minute. Tom Dunn touched down from a rolling maul on the right and Russell booted the extras.

However, the guests soon restored parity. Archie McParland picked up the ball 25 metres out and darted through a gap in the line to score just to the left of the posts, Belleau slotting over the two points.

Northampton seemed to have scored again in the 31st minute. George Hendy offloaded to Freeman 20 metres out but he was tackled almost on the line, Tom de Glanville’s head crashing against a post in his efforts to defend.

Black, Green & Gold skipper Callum Chick picked up and touched down just to the left of the posts. Belleau was ready to take the conversion kick but Jones ruled out the try for the Saints obstructing Beno Obano in the build-up to the score.

The Blue, Black & White then lost Max Ojomoh with what head of rugby van Graan described at his post-match press conference as a likely calf injury.

But Bath got back in front in the 47th minute, du Toit stretching to touch down under the posts. Russell landed the conversion and the home side led 21-14. Little did anyone in the stadium know that Russell’s kick provided the Blue, Black & White with their final points of the fixture.

Northampton appeared to have tied things up again when Rory Hutchinson scored under the posts in the 49th minute and Belleau converted. But Jones was called into service once more, and the try was disallowed for Hutchinson grounding the ball just short of the line, Dunn having done well to pressure the centre.

The reprieve was short-lived, as Freeman surged away from 23 metres to go over on the left in the 53rd minute and Belleau kicked the additional points.

And Northampton secured the four-try bonus point when they turned defence into attack in the 55th minute. Henry Arundell, who was subdued for much of the match, surged away down the left, only to be tackled.

The ball spilled and was gathered by Hendy, who charged 55 metres upfield before releasing Henry Pollock on the Bath 22 – and the number 8 dived to the ground, theatrically, behind the posts. Belleau converted and the Saints were 28-21 ahead.

Van Graan’s immediate response was to bring Francois van Wyk, Ted Hill, Guy Pepper and Santi Carreras off the bench.

Further replacements arrived in the 65th minute – but one of those arrivals, Dan Frost, lasted only a matter of seconds before being sent to the sin bin by referee Craig Maxwell-Keys for a deliberate knock-on.

And, with Frost off the field, the Saints swooped for their fifth try, Pollock scoring on the left from a rolling maul in the 66th minute. Belleau missed from the tee but Bath were 33-21 adrift.

A 26-metre penalty from in front of the posts by Belleau in the 72nd minute left the Blue, Black & White more than two converted tries behind.

And further salt was rubbed into Bath’s wounds when Freeman ran in from 15 metres, shrugging off a tackle from Joe Cokanasiga, to complete his hat-trick with a 76th-minute score in the left corner, although Belleau again failed with the conversion.

The hosts looked like sneaking a fourth try when, with a minute left, Arundell offloaded to Ollie Lawrence. But with the left corner at his mercy, Lawrence – back in the side after injury – dropped the ball.

So five league points to the Saints, none to Bath. Northampton’s celebrations at the final whistle showed just how much the victory meant to them.

Sam Underhill won Bath’s Pol Roger Performance of the Match award. But Freeman was deservedly named the Gallagher man of the match.

The game was a classic for Northampton followers and neutral spectators – but it represented a Christmas gift best consigned to the bin for supporters of the Blue, Black & White.

Bath starting XV: 1 Beno Obano, 2 Tom Dunn, 3 Thomas du Toit, 4 Quinn Roux, 5 Ross Molony, 6 Josh Bayliss, 7 Sam Underhill, 8 Miles Reid, 9 Ben Spencer, 10 Finn Russell, 11 Henry Arundell, 12 Max Ojomoh, 13 Ollie Lawrence, 14 Joe Cokanasiga, 15 Tom de Glanville.

Bath replacements: 16 Dan Frost, 17 Francois van Wyk, 18 Archie Griffin, 19 Ted Hill, 20 Guy Pepper, 21 Tom Carr-Smith, 22 Santi Carreras, 23 Chris Harris.

Northampton starting XV: 1 Emmanuel Iyogun, 2 Robbie Smith, 3 Trevor Davison, 4 Ed Prowse, 5 Chunya Munga, 6 Callum Chick, 7 Sam Graham, 8 Henry Pollock, 9 Archie McParland, 10 Anthony Belleau, 11 James Ramm, 12 Rory Hutchinson, 13 Tommy Freeman, 14 Edoardo Todaro, 15 George Hendy.

Northampton replacements: 16 Henry Walker, 17 Oliver Scola, 18 Elliot Millar-Mills, 19 Archie Benson, 20 Fyn Brown, 21 Tom James, 22 Henry Lumley, 23 Ollie Sleightholme.

Bath will be back at The Rec on Saturday 3rd January, when they host Exeter Chiefs in PREM Round 9 (3.05pm).

The Devonians’ 24-10 win over Leicester Tigers on Sunday 28th December took them into second spot in the table, pushing van Graan’s unit down to third place.

With Bristol Bears snapping at Bath’s heels, only four points separate the top four clubs.